Lady Bulldogs' Marshall out for year
The Georgia women’s basketball team will start the season without one of its top players after returning starter Christy Marshall tore the ACL in her right knee.

Crash bruises Winder-Barrow band
A Good Hope woman was flown by air ambulance to Atlanta Medical Center late Friday evening her sport utility vehicle collided with a Barrow County school bus carrying the Winder-Barrow Bulldogg Marching Band home from a football game in Rockdale County, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Unlocked doors let crooks slip inside
A burglar entered an unlocked door of a University of Georgia student's home in the 100 block of East Cloverhurst Avenue between 8 and 9 a.m. Thursday and stole a laptop computer valued at $2,000, Athens-Clarke police said.

Daughter suspects parents' caregivers
A woman thinks workers who care for her parents at their home in the 100 block of Evergreen Terrace may have stolen $6,000 of her mother's jewelry, Athens-Clarke police said.

Computer taken while man at work
A thief entered an unlocked truck in the 700 block of Sunset Drive between 2 and 3 p.m. Thursday and stole a laptop computer, a cell phone, a GPS unit and other items with a total value of $1,310, Athens-Clarke police said.

Tools swiped from utility trailer at mall
Thieves broke the lock of a utility trailer that was parked behind Sears at Georgia Square Mall on Thursday morning and stole a welder, router and various power tools valued at $1,425, Athens-Clarke police said.

Wheels ripped off of parked car
Thieves swiped custom rims and tires valued at $2,600 from a car at the owner's home in the 100 block of Michelle Drive between 1 and 8 a.m. Thursday, Athens-Clarke police said.

Dogs sink Vandy 34-10
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - That noise you might have heard at 3:47 p.m. ET Saturday was the Georgia football team finally able to come up for air and take a deep breath. Never has simply beating Vanderbilt - something the Bulldogs did for the 14th time in the last 15 games—probably mattered so much.

Notebook: King battles back to make impact
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Caleb King had spent most of the season in a frustrating fight against injury while other running backs took what could have been his snaps. Despite playing with a broken jaw, King had maybe the biggest game of his career as Georgia beat Vanderbilt 34-10 on Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium.

Bobo likes new point of view
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Mike Bobo's vantage point of Georgia's most productive offensive game in four weeks came from field level instead of in the coaches' box high up in Vanderbilt Stadium.

Turning Point / Play of the Game
The two teams accounted for all of 55 yards on the first 26 plays when Georgia receiver A.J. Green caught a quick pass from Joe Cox and weaved his way through the Vanderbilt defense for a 65-yard touchdown that helped put the Bulldogs up 7-0.

Quotables: Dogs vs. Dores
See what the players and coaches were saying in the aftermath of Georgia's 34-10 victory over Vanderbilt Saturday in Nashville.

Players of the Game
Georgia's star receiver made the play that finally got the Bulldogs' struggling offense moving. The Bulldogs totaled 3 yards of offense in their first three possessions before A.J. Green caught a quick pass from Joe Cox and went 65 yards for a touchdown.

Ching: Richt's loser talk has no place
To be perfectly truthful, I didn't even raise an eyebrow at the time when Mark Richt made his infamous "arena" comments after Georgia's humiliating loss last weekend in Knoxville.

Season full of twists and turns at midway point
A .500 record would be cause for celebration for baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, who have endured a major league-record 17 losing seasons in a row.Oregon State would have taken it in a heartbeat when it suffered through an NCAA record 28 consecutive losing football seasons from 1971-1998. Of the 120 Bowl Subdivision teams, 56 this week don't have a winning record. It certainly is not sitting well in Athens, where 3-3 Georgia is off to its worst start since 1996.

Vandy linebacker second in SEC in tackling
One of the constants about Vanderbilt over the last few years is solid defense. This season is no different as the Commodores enter this weekend's game against Georgia ranked in the conference's top half in both major defensive categories.

Magill: Kasay, Ward still going strong
Two of the NFL's all-time greats, Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward and Carolina place-kicker John David Kasay, are still going strong. Ward, now in his 12th season with the Steelers, caught five passes from Ben Roethlisberger in the 28-20 win over Detroit this past Sunday, one for a TD. So far this season, he has 33 receptions for 440 yards.

Smith: Even great coaches can have an off year
If an employee isn't getting the job done, and you're the boss, what do you do? The quick answer is that you get rid of him/her, but in football where the constants are influenced by immature kids, some of whom are teenagers, decisive decisions are not so easily made.

Lamar Duncan: Sack all talk of bag tax
I'm not surprised that the liberal Athens-Clarke County mayor and commission are talking about placing a tax on plastic grocery bags (Story, "Plastic bag tax floated/Recycling efforts," Wednesday's Editorial, "Clarke 'bag tax' proposal worth further look," Thursday). It is exciting to know we now are trying to follow the leads of San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and foreign countries regarding what is best for Athens.

Dr. Rick Waters: Monitor kids in cyberspace
More than 100 people - including parents and their children - turned out recently for the first CyberSafety Symposium sponsored by Prevent Child Abuse Athens and the Clarke County School District. We felt it was a tremendous success and thank our presenters, door-prize donors and food suppliers, and the people with both agencies who donated time to help the evening run smoothly.

John T. Williford: Afghanistan options are tough
Taking an honest position on a difficult, ongoing war is usually a recipe for short-term political disaster. The raw capital of war is the flesh and blood of our soldiers and, once it has been fatally invested, it, unlike some financial losses, cannot be recovered. The only possible redemption lies in sacrificing more warriors in hopes of giving some ultimate meaning to the lives already lost. No political leader relishes making a decision that will negate this possibility. Generals almost never concede that a better outcome is not possible if only more lives and equipment are committed.

Bob Bowen: Expand video's role in officiating
It may be time for the Southeastern Conference to authorize the video review official at college football games to act on judgment calls. In two significant games in the past few weeks, officials on the field missed calls that influenced the outcome of the games.

Vickyjo Hood: Insurance too often is useless
I support health care reform. I'm a postal worker who will be retiring soon, and the mother of two sons with 100 percent disabilities. They had to enroll in Medicaid and Medicare because once they turned 22, the insurance I have at work dropped them from the family plan.

Spotted®: The focus is on you!
Pet Day: Westminster Christian Academy's Preschool hosted Hunter Bates, DVM, for pet day. Children brought in stuffed animals and Dr. Bates shared how to care for the animals. The children then "doctored" their pets.

Jones: Don't confuse spirituality and sentimentality
Billy Graham reminiscing in his biography, "Just as I Am," about President Richard Nixon said, "I might have exaggerated his spirituality in my own mind. ... He always made ready references to his mother's faith and the Bible she loved so much."

Smith: The governor explains things
BAINBRIDGE - The Flint River, which meanders and moves lazily but merrily along, was once navigable all the way to Bainbridge - until the construction of the Jim Woodruff Dam in 1957. Folks here keep an ear to the ground about water developments involving Lake Lanier because the Chattahoochee is wedded to this area, too.

From Animal Control: Meet Sandy
Sandy is sweet yellow Lab mix that already knows how to sit for a treat. Sandy has a sunny, happy-go-lucky temperament, true to her Lab genes. Sandy would love to play fetch, go for a jog or power walk with you. Sandy is a real sweetheart, looking for her very own forever home.

'Free Press' mingles art, journalism
Here we have a newspaper article about an art exhibition about newspaper articles. The premise is unwieldy. For one, in case you haven't noticed, print media in general is not doing very well. But talking about that in the paper proves to be awkward. As journalists, our livelihoods are at stake, but we're not supposed to get personally involved with the story.

'Peep Show' this weekend at Ciné
Growing up in the Atlanta suburbs, Andrew Shearer loved to engage in the time-tested teenage tradition of attending weekend midnight movies.

Today's Best Bets
'Terre Verte' opening reception - Opening for show with works by Scott Belville, Rinne Allen, Michael Stipe, John Ahee, John Cleaveland, Matt Alston, Richard Olsen and other local artists.

Midnight madness marks beginning of hoops season
LEXINGTON, Ky. - On a stage befitting a rock star, John Calipari got his first taste of a packed house at Rupp Arena on Friday night and promised to return Kentucky basketball to "its rightful place at the top of the mountain."

Calipari, 'Cats meet media
LEXINGTON, Ky. - John Calipari says he has felt like a political candidate during his first six months as Kentucky's basketball coach, generating new hype with each campaign stop across the state even while trying to temper some lofty expectations.

Construction, cleanup generate opportunities
WASHINGTON - Businesses in the South and Southwest benefited most from the first federal contracts awarded under President Obama's stimulus program, according to initial data released by a government oversight board. Military construction and environmental cleanup contributed to a boost of about 30,000 jobs.

No cost-of-living boost for many seniors in 2010
WASHINGTON - Social Security recipients won't get a cost-of-living increase next year for the first time in more than a third of a century, and that could boost President Obama's plan to send seniors another round of $250 payments before the congressional elections.

Roadside bomb kills four U.S. troops
KABUL - A roadside bomb killed four American troops in Southern Afghanistan, the U.S. said Friday, as a U.N.-backed panel finished most of its investigation into whether the level of fraud in the August presidential election would force a runoff.

Pakistan preparing to move on Taliban
ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani military is setting its sights on the Taliban's remote sanctuary after nearly two weeks of big bombings across the country, as hundreds flee the Afghan border region each day before what promises to be the army's riskiest offensive yet.

Banks find a way to keep making money
NEW YORK - The big banks are showing they can still make money, even as Main Street struggles - though not from lending, refinancing homes or other bread-and-butter business.

Suicide bomber attacks mosque in northern Iraq
BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber who hid among the Sunni congregation in a northern Iraqi mosque sprayed gunfire at Muslim worshippers Friday and then blew himself up, killing at least 15 people, including the imam leading prayers, officials said.

Relief after fearful balloon flight
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - A 6-year-old boy was found hiding in a cardboard box in his family's garage Thursday after being feared aboard a homemade helium balloon that hurtled 50 miles through the sky on live television.

Prime minister suspends unity
HARARE, Zimbabwe - Citing the "persecution" of a top aide, Zimbabwe's prime minister abandoned - at least temporarily - shared rule with President Robert Mugabe, marking a setback to the country's struggle to emerge from political gridlock, economic collapse and international isolation and sanctions.

Drop in jobless claims, inflation news a boost
WASHINGTON - New jobless claims dropped to the lowest level since January and the prices of many household goods stayed low last month, positive signs of stability for the fledgling economic recovery.

Deficit hits all-time high: $1.42 trillion
WASHINGTON - The federal budget deficit has surged to an all-time high of $1.42 trillion as the recession caused tax revenues to plunge while the government was spending massive amounts to stabilize the financial system and jump-start the economy.

Obama leaves Big Easy wanting more
NEW ORLEANS - A day after an enthusiastic, almost-gushing crowd met President Obama on his first visit to New Orleans since taking office, some in this still-suffering, hurricane-struck city wondered when platitudes and political speech would give way to greater progress.

Family from balloon saga faces scrutiny
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - By all accounts, Richard Heene is an unapologetic self-promoter who would pursue all sorts of off-the-wall stunts to get media attention. Flying saucers, mountaintop helicopter stunts, storm chasing, reality TV shows - no gag was beyond his limits.

Groups upset justice wouldn't marry couple
NEW ORLEANS - Two civil and constitutional rights organizations called on a Louisiana justice of the peace to resign Friday after he refused to marry an interracial couple, saying any children the couple might have would suffer.

Man charged in presidential threat
SAN FRANCISCO - A Northern California man remained in federal custody without bail Friday after being charged with sending racist, profanity-laced e-mail threatening to kill President Obama and his family.

U.N.: Record 1 billion go hungry worldwide
NAIROBI, Kenya - Parents in some of Africa's poorest countries are cutting back on school, clothes and basic medical care just to give their children a meal once a day, experts say. Still, it is not enough.

U.N. rights council endorses Gaza report
GENEVA - The U.N. Human Rights Council voted Friday to endorse a Gaza war crimes report that calls on Israel and Hamas to carry out credible investigations into alleged abuses - or face possible referral to international war crimes prosecutors.

Militants assault police compounds
LAHORE, Pakistan - Islamist militants launched coordinated assaults on three police compounds in Pakistan's second largest city Thursday, the latest in a wave of attacks by insurgents bringing the war to the country's heartland ahead of an expected offensive against their Afghan border sanctuary.

Envoy says Afghan runoff election likely
WASHINGTON - A runoff vote is very likely between incumbent Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his closest challenger in the country's highly contested election, Karzai's ambassador to the United States said Thursday.

Bank of America, GE results lower stocks
NEW YORK - Stocks ended a strong week with a flash of selling after Bank of America Corp. and General Electric Co. signaled that businesses and consumers are still struggling to pay off their debts.

Some sour as state grabs raw milk
Athens locally grown food advocate Eric Wagoner has an appointment with representatives from the state Department of Agriculture on Monday. They are coming to his house to watch him pour out 110 gallons of unpasteurized milk.

Funny money linked to drug trade
Authorities think they might be closing in on counterfeiters who have been flooding Athens with fake money. The bogus bills - ranging in denominations from $5 to $100 - appear to be tied to the drug trade, police said.

NASA visit aims to inspire young minds
Drew Brantley called the Kennedy Space Center in August trying to find a space suit from an old shuttle mission to show his science class. Instead, NASA lent him a couple of rocks - from the moon.

Truck first hit pickup in deadly collision
LEXINGTON - A tractor-trailer truck bumped a pickup and sent it into an oncoming car, triggering a collision that killed three Rayle men Thursday morning between Crawford and Lexington in Oglethorpe County.

Man found beaten, wrapped in rug
Jackson County sheriff's deputies are trying to identify a man they found beaten unconscious and wrapped in a rug outside a home on Scott Road just north of the Clarke County line.

No recall of Pendergrass council
Visiting Superior Court Judge John Ott on Friday found insufficient grounds to order a recall of Pendergrass City Council members, but delayed ruling on whether voters can recall Mayor Monk Tolbert.

Events on hold in a rain delay
Storms that dumped nearly 5 inches of rain on Athens earlier this week continue to cause problems, forcing organizers to postpone two community events because rivers are still running full and low-lying land remains inundated.

Morris sells majority stake in ad firm
Morris Communications Co. sold a majority stake in its billboard advertising company Thursday to a Washington, D.C.-based private equity investment firm as part of the debt restructuring plan for its newspaper group.

Recycle advocates seek new members of the club
Athens has the highest recycling rate in Georgia, so it's safe to say residents tend to be pretty careful about what they throw away at home. When they're out on the town, though, it's a different story. Many of the millions of beers drank in downtown Athens bars end up in the landfill. The local beer distributor Leon Farmer & Co. noticed the problem and decided to do something about it.

Washington spikes voter checks again
ATLANTA - The U.S. Department of Justice has for the second time rejected Georgia's system of using Social Security numbers and driver's license data to check whether prospective voters are citizens.

ABH Correction
An article published Wednesday on Page A1 of the Athens Banner-Herald about the Oconee Middle School symphonic band misidentified University of Georgia composer Ashley Floyd. A photo caption also should have identified flautist Emily Cusiccio, an eighth-grader.

Deaths in the news: Barnett, Prophet
BERKELEY, Calif. - Stephen Barnett, a First Amendment professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and prominent critic of the state court system, died Tuesday of complications from cardiac arrest, the school announced Friday. He was 73.

Page: Obama should act on his promise to gays
As if he didn't have enough headaches. President Barack Obama has to decide not only whether to deploy more troops to the war in Afghanistan but also whether gays and lesbians will be allowed to serve in it.

Editorial: Hard line needed on faith-based literature
Let's be honest here. It's not for nothing this part of the country has earned the nickname "buckle of the Bible belt." Wednesday-night church suppers, Sunday school and Bible studies long have been a part of the social and cultural fabric of the South, coloring it as surely and completely as the dust of its red clay soil.

What is Michael Moore talking about?
Michael Moore is confused. His new movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story," begins by suggesting that all was well until Ronald Reagan became president and cut the top 90 percent income tax rate. Everything was downhill from there.

Forum: Cold realities of a complicated conflict
RAMALLAH, West Bank - A trip to this Palestinian town can shatter preconceptions and compel the mind to dream about the possibilities of peace - and then awaken to the cold realities of a complicated conflict. You may expect to see squalor and desolation in the city that serves as the capital for the Palestinian Authority. Instead, you have to work your way through a bustling downtown of crowded streets and impenetrable traffic jams, complete with vibrant commerce

Sanders carries Spartans over ACS
Mark Sanders made sure that Athens Academy will head into its biggest game of the regular season on an upswing. Sanders, the Spartans' junior quarterback, accounted for all three touchdowns Friday night as Academy dispatched Athens Christian 21-6 at Slaughter Field.

Bulldoggs' Davila throws game of his life last week
The last minute of Winder-Barrow's game against Monroe Area elapsed much the same as it did in the pretend games quarterback Christian Davila had in his yard when he was barely big enough to hold a football.

Titans' 'D' stuffs Dawson County
North Oconee's defense has been close to perfect for much of the 2009 season, and Friday night was no different as the Titans' defense led the way to a 41-9 drubbing of Dawson County. The Titans held Dawson County to minus-44 rushing yards in the game, a school record.

Prince Avenue forces Game 3 vs. Excel
BOGART - Prince Avenue Christian remained alive in the Class A state playoffs, losing its Friday opener to Excel Christian 3-1 but coming back to win the nightcap by a 3-0 score.

No-maintenance living in Oconee County
Oconee County's serene Triple Creek neighborhood features the best in beautifully finished patio homes. Beautiful brick and hardiplank exteriors partnered with full landscaping services make Triple Creek the low-maintenance living option that you've been looking for.

1100 Rowan Oak Circle
For exceptional value in luxury living, look no further than this five-bedroom beauty located in the exclusive Rowan Oak swim/tennis community.

150-year-old home with daylight apartment!
Located on the edge of downtown and only three blocks from The University of Georgia, this 150-year-old home on Finley Street is the perfect fit for buyers seeking an authentic Athens experience.

855 Parkview Drive
Buyers looking for an authentic Victorian home with artisan appeal will love this Queen Anne-style estate privately located on 5.5 scenic acres.

Hannah Heights
In the heart of the fastest growing area of Madison County is the area's newest subdivision, Hannah Heights. Drive out and take a look at these new "Everything Included" Craftsman-style homes.

Hardwood floors throughout!
Buyers looking for exceptional value on a spacious brick home with hardwood floors throughout will love this four-bedroom home located in the Olde Lexington Gardens neighborhood of eastside Athens.

Matt Thomas & Atlas Sponsor Holiday Food/Toy Drive
Matt Thomas, principal and licensed Realtor with Atlas Real Estate Advisors, is hosting a food/toy drive and pics with Santa at his holiday open house on Sunday December 14th from noon until 5pm at MadiSun Park Subdivision in Danielsville, GA.

Athens Area Association of REALTORS® Sponsors Toy Drive
The Athens Area Association of REALTORS® (AAAR) is holding a Toy Drive through December 16, 2008 to benefit Toys For Tots. The Athens Area Association of REALTORS® has supported the Toys for Tots Program for many years.

Local Real Estate Firms Announce Merger Plans
Athens, GA - Local real estate firms ERA Classic City Realty and ERA United Realty of Atlanta have announced plans to merge operations, effective January 21, 2009. The combined firm will conduct business as ERA United Realty with offices located in Athens, Roswell, Marietta, Tucker, Conyers and Newnan.

Who Are the Seniors Real Estate Specialists®?
Elizabeth Thurmond has successfully completed the education program and has received the Seniors Real Estate Specialists® designation. SRES® are REALTORS® qualified to address the needs of home buyers and sellers age 50+.

Yanks freeze Angels in opener
NEW YORK - CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees stopped the Los Angeles Angels cold in the AL championship series opener. On a blustery night more suited to bobsleds than baseballs, Sabathia pitched eight superb innings of four-hit ball to win his second straight postseason start and New York took advantage of a rare sloppy night by Los Angeles in a 4-1 victory Friday.

Falcons strive to win second straight
FLOWERY BRANCH - While beating Chicago in the final second last year helped define Atlanta's season, quarterback Matt Ryan has little interest in reminiscing.

Junior at end of his rope
CONCORD, N.C. - Dale Earnhardt Jr. hit rock bottom during his last trip to Lowe's Motor Speedway. He struggled with his car, feuded with his crew chief and finished a season-low 40th in one of the most embarrassing weekends of his career.

LeBron, two other Cavaliers battling influenza
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - LeBron James and two Cleveland teammates have tested positive for Influenza A, and are being treated as if they have the H1N1 virus by the Cavaliers, who are being proactive in dealing with a flu bug that already has sickened six players.

Observatory plans free open house
The University of Georgia Observatory will hold the second free public viewing night of this semester at 8 p.m. Friday. The observatory features a 24-inch telescope and is located atop the physics building on South Campus.

UGA enrollment breaks record
Fall semester enrollment at the University of Georgia set a record at 34,885, up 2 percent from last fall when enrollment topped 34,000 for the first time.

South Carolina beats Georgia 3-0
Despite double-doubles from outside hitter Erika Clark and setter Kathleen Gates on Friday, the Georgia volleyball team lost in three sets to visiting South Carolina.

Marshall to miss Lady Dogs' 2010 season
The Georgia women's basketball team will start the season without one of its top players after returning starter Christy Marshall tore the ACL in her right knee.